The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-12-30

To he Editor ofiht fnitlliomesr. III b
sIR:-The article Of "De H. In your
Issue oil recent dato struck mo as forci.
bio and truthful, and 10 now being exem-
plided In the western half OF KansaB
where settlers have been led by false rep.
resentations Of spectators In the belief
that they could raise n crop outside the
rain bolt without the aid Of irrigation.
l Waited Kansas and Colorado In 0cto.
Der, and looked with fear and nadnesa
upon tho parched and barren fields OF
western KRnsaa and wondered how they
would be able 10 provide for tho bleak
winter. When I visited tho irregular
fields Of Colorado and saw tho ground
covered With alfalfa from two TO thIoe feet
high, the garden spota literally packed
with vegetation Of oil kinds, large pota.
toes, onions, cabbage, pynaskss, cncum.
bers, melons, etc., l ie!t an exaltation Of
spirit0 somewhat akin 10 that Of a voyager
scroeB an Gcrid sea who lands Of last upon
the green sward OF q continent. 90
While II Is true, therefore, "a "De f."
says, In regard 10 those who lel! comforta.
bic homes to take up lands where fuel Ia
sCarco and marketg lar OF, In reference 10
many CT tlse settlers Of Iowa, Kanaas and
Nebrnuks, who depend upon rain 10 raine
their crops, 1t will not apply to those who
depend on irrigation and arc near q great
railroad.
Irrigation is practicable in more than
one.half Of Kansas, and they will have to
come to II II they ever succeed as al agri-
cultural district.
When Horace Greeley mado his mem.
orablo trip across the continent after the
completion Of the Union Pacific Railroad,
in travcraing the rainlees bolt OF tho Col.
orado mountain region, he said: "What
this country needn is irrigation!" The
opponing papers ridiculcd the great phil.
oBopher first by saying that the ''old fool
standing on the mountain ten thousand
feet above the level Of the 500 talking
about irrlgation!" Then when the idea
took form and "GIseley," Colorado, WIS
founded, theso came parties asid that the
| "Greeley" Idea Wss ono hundred years in
advance OF the needs Of the country. II
Ia now apparent that Greeley was right,
and Of Denver and higher up the noun.
tain range the system CT irrigation is in
practical use, and the grcates. poasible
bic ssiug to Colorado.
While in Colorado / made my home OF
La Junta on the a. T. & s. Fe. r. R., a
town OF 1000 inhnbitants that has not
been doomed. II has tho railroad COM
pany round house and machine shops.
Tho company has large hospital at that
point and about fifty houses. The pay
roll Is about 500, 900 per month. Tho town
has the Holly water workg system md is
the end OF their division OF the road. The
Misgouri Pacific Railroad has Just com.
p,eted road to Puablo. running IS miles
north Of the town. Between La Junta
and the Missouri Pacific Railroad there Is
q very fine body OF government land open
to homestead, pre-emption and timber cul-
turo entry, nll OF which will be under the
Iirr!gGting csnal sometime next summer or
iall. To any person who wants q free
home, and who has enough money to sub.
sist on for one season until the irrigating
canal Is complete, this is tho best oppo..
tunity to get home that ! know Of IN
the West. OF course this land will soon
all be taken. Those who choose flaming
for q living ii they own q farm would
not advise to sell 1t and go west, and to
those who expect to 60 west and ait down
IN inglorious ease expecting O living to
come to them, I would cay you had bstter
stay East. The system Of irrigation re-.
quires labor, but it pays ten fold, could
be moro explicit and give the products,
climate, methods Of irrigation, etc., but do
not know that your readers desire it.
''Da H." wrote with reference to coun.
try partially outside OF the rain bplt where
they depend on rain for crop, end I
wished to correct 1t go far rs it might ueem
to apply to Colorado, where irrigation is in
practical USE. IR,c0.
BarnesUile, O., Dc. 2S.